Importer Notes: In an unwavering quest for excellence, Champagne Billecart-Salmon is continually exploring new ways to offer ever more unique tasting experiences. Les Rendez-Vous de Billecart-Salmon, a bold and meticulous collection born to give its terroir, artistry and distinctive grapes a platform to shine, has now been expanded. Voilà the two new cuvées: N°7 and N°8 . A New ‘‘Rendez-Vous’’ with Billecart-Salmon: Two Expressions of Meunier 

Rendez-Vous N°8 - Leuvrigny, Also from the 2018 vintage.  Meunier that expresses the full mineral tension of the chalky soils that dominate in Leuvrigny. Its aromatic expression weaves together the scent of flowers and grasses, developing towards pure nuances of pome fruits and sourdough bread. This sensual varietal cuvée unfolds into a tantalizing saline creaminess borne upon the acidity of tart juicy fruits: green mango, redcurrant and pomelo. A refined match for veal pie with foie gras or cheese puffs made with aged Comté cheese. 

Anyone wanting to discover what the Meunier grape can do in Champagne might consider comparing the two new Rendez-Vous releases from specialists in the grape, Billecart-Salmon. The house has chosen to highlight two very different terroirs with wines based on the solar 2018 vintage. Next to No 7's outgoing character from its south-facing location in Venteuil, No 8 presents a rarer expression of Meunier with its beautifully sizzling, racy, chalky build reminding us of how much refinement this grape is capable of in certain terroirs. In this case it's the village of Leuvrigny, tucked away behind the south bank of the Marne river, that provides this finesse with its finely drawn flavours of sweet fresh raspberry, honey, oatmeal and yellow plums. As with No 7, this features no oak, allowing the purity to shine. - 94 points, Decanter (Tom Hewson)